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M. J. STELZER.

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED luuzz, |919.

Patented Dec. 16, M9.

s or-r/ agus:

MARTIN J. s'rELzER, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMEN T.

Specification of Letters Patent. l Patented`De. 16, 1919.

Application filed .Tune 2,1919. Serial No. 301,157.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MARTIN J. STELZnR, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented anew and useful Agricultural Implement, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in agricultural implements, andmore particularly to a guard or shield to be attached to a barrow orcultivator to prevent the dirt from covering up -the small stalks "orvegetation planted in rows.

An object of the invention isv to provide a shield or guard forattachment to cultivator implements whereby only a smallquantity of the-soil is permitted to approach the rows in which the plants are planted,thereby preventing the covering of the plants when they are in the earlystage of growth.

Other objects will appear from the following detailed description, takenin connection with the drawing in which- Figure l is a plan view of theinvention applied to a known type of harrow.

Fig. 2 is a perspective broken section of theI construction of theinvention.

Fig. 3 is a broken perspective of the frame constituting the shield orguard with the side members removed.

Fig. 4 is a broken elevation of one of the side members.

Fig. 5 is a detailed view illustrating the connection at the rear of theshield with the frame of the harrow.

As illustrated in the drawing the invention is applied to a standardform of harrow, but it will be understood that the invention may beapplied to cultivators or other cultivating agricultural implements ofvarious types. As illustrated the harrow to which the invention isapplied comprises a triangular frame member l having arranged, thereon aseries of hoes 2, it being understood that the hoes are arranged so asto pulverize or cultivate the soil and to bank it in rows, the number ofrows formed of course being dependent upon the size of the cultivatingimplement. In the present instance the harrow is arranged to form tworows at a time.

The present invention comprises an inverted U-shaped frame memberincluding a top wall 3 and side walls A. The frame may be made of sheetsteel bent in the form of an inverted U, or it may be of cast metal inassociation with the side members of the I frame and have therein aseries of slots 7. Any suitable means ofattaching the side members 6 tothe side walls of the frame may be employed and I have illustrated onesatisfactory arrangement. This arrange-'f ment includes the providing oflateral lugs 1 8 on the side members' 6, the lugs bearing on the topwall 8 lof the main frame membei', and vattaching one end ofVtl'iermember 6 to the side wall of the frame member by# y providingtransverse lugs 10 on the frame and lugs 11 on the end of the member 6,and joining the two lugs by a contractile spring l2. The spring may beprotected from contact with the soil and thereby prevent the clogging ofthe coils thereof by a telescoping guard 13. Near the opposite end ofthe member 6 is a longitudinal slot 14 through which projects a lockboltJ 15.

In normal adjustment the slots 5 and 7 are in full serial registration,but the width of the openings through the member 6 and the side wall 4may obviously be adjusted by the longitudinal movement of the member 6with respect to the side wall 4:.

Shields constructed as described may be attached in series to thecultivating implement so that as the implement is moved over the surfaceof the ground to be cultivated, the shield will extend over the area inwhich the rows are formed. The soil will be banked by the operation ofthe hoes of the implement against the side walls of the shield and aquantity of the nely pulverized soil will pass through the slots in theside of the shield. The amount of the soil passing through can becontrolled by the adjustment of the members 6 as heretofore described.

Any suitable connection between the shield and the frame of the barrowor other agricultural implement to which it is applied may be employed.As illustrated the forward attaching connection between the frame andthe shield comprises an angular bracket 16, a flexible or resilientmetal, one wall of which is attached to the upper wall of the shield andthe other to the frame of the harrow. It is preferable to provide ayielding connection for the rear end of the of Ian inverted Ushapedshield, having a shield, and in the embodiment yshown a bolt 17 passingthrough the frame memberI and connected at its lower endvwith the' topwall of the frame is provided. An expansion spring 18, surrounding thebolt 17 is interposed between the top wall of the shield and theyunderfacefof theframe member.

The construction of the invention is particularly adaptable for thecultivation of corn,;cotton, or Asimilar growth when the vegetation isin the early stage of growth.

The shield prevents the banking ofthe soil Uon top .of theplants,.butpermits sufficient Vfresh soil to be deposited about theroots of the plants to cover up the weeds or grass that may grow withthe plants of the crop.

I am awa-re that the construction .may be `modified invariousparticulars without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. I 'do notilim-it myselftherefore to .the exacty featuresshow-n and described, but what I claimV and desi-re to secure by LettersPatent, isz- 1., In an agricultural implement, the combination with 4theframe ofrthe'implement,

series of spaced vertical slots in the side walls thereof, appair oflongitudinali)T adjustable plates, each having a series oi verticalspaced slots therein registering with the slots in the side walls of theshields, means for holding the plates in different relative adjustmentswith respectto the side members of the frame, whereby the quantity ofearth delivered to the interior of the shield may be controlled, aresilient connection between the shield and the frame of the implementnear one end of the shield, and .a yieldable connection between theframe and the shield near the oppositecnd.

2. In an agricultural implement, having a main frame, an attachmentcomprising an inverted U-shaped integrally formed shield,

Va connection between the shield and the frame of the implement forVresilientlyse curing it tothe frame near one end, and a yieldableconnection between the shield and the frame at the other end,`permitting the vertical movement of the shield with re@ spect. to thevframe.

:MARTIN STELZER

